Leaving on a Jet Plane... Don't know when we'll be back again!

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. 

We leave tomorrow morning at 11:10am from Tampa, arrive at JFK, then off to Brussels, then last stop, Entebbe, Uganda, arriving at 10:30pm (Uganda time) on Monday. 

A few dates & times to remember:

1. We are 8 hours ahead of you all (at least most of you)

2. Tues at 2pm (Uganda Time) 6am (Florida time) we will meet Eli for the first time!!!! 

3. Court is scheduled for Friday (not sure on the time yet). 

Please pray tomorrow & Monday for our travels, Tuesday for everything about that day, and Friday that court goes smoothly. 

We will see you all when we get back. Thank you all for your prayers, please don't stop. We still need them each and every day that we are gone.

Leaving as 2, coming back as 3!!! Thank you Jesus for allowing us this opportunity. 

Call On Me

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

While our prayers have been many and some days it has been a struggle to keep praying for the exact same thing, God has heard each and every one of them. Our journey to Eli has had it's ups & downs and today we learned our journey has been extended for another month, possibly two. 

We trust that His timing is perfect even though we don't understand why. 

Our family is sad that we won't be spending the holiday's with our little guy but we also know that he is in good hands. He now has 1 tooth and is working on a 2nd. He's up to 17 pounds but not crawling yet. 

We pray that we now receive a court date in January and ask that you continue to pray for our Eli, our spirits, and our new judge (whoever that may be).

Encouraging Others

In approximately 3-4 hours it will be Monday morning in Uganda, the beginning of another week. We ask that you continue to pray that we will receive a court date soon, along with the other 3 families waiting.

So I've considered sending this post several times, but for whatever reason, I decided not to. But there were 2 confirmations on Saturday that have caused me to change my mind and share with all of you. 

We have been praying for "our" Eli for quite some time now. And while we've been delayed in our process for various reasons, we have been blessed. We've been blessed to know that he is taken care of by Mrs. Elizabeth and the others at his foster home. We have been blessed to have 2 amazing families visit with him, play with him and send pictures and videos to us of him. We've been blessed to know that he is healthy and growing. And at no point have we had to worry, we've just had to patiently wait. Wait on God's timing. And this whole time we've done this waiting, right here in the comfort of our own home. 

Several weeks ago I was sharing Eli's story with a couple. They asked to receive the email updates on Eli and after they received their first update, I received an email back from them that shared about another Eli they were praying for. You see, Elijah McDonald, was born September 16th, at only 23 weeks and way before his due date. His parents were prayerful that God would grant healing to his body. It was such a wake up call for me... Jamie, you may be waiting for your Eli, but you are not waiting in the hospital. Now, pray not only for "your" Eli but for the McDonald's Eli as well. And so I began praying for both Eli's. (You can read of Eli's story at www.elialmighty.wordpress.com - Warning to the ladies: May Cause Tears.)

But a few weeks ago, Eli went to be with his maker. His family is in Michigan, grieving through the process. But they have been a testament to God's peace, healing and understanding. They have remained faithful to Him, the creator, our Heavenly Father.

Throughout reading the story of "their" Eli, I've considered sharing with you all. But each time, I chose not to. Maybe because I felt like I've introduced too many different families to you already. Secondly, because I don't know the McDonald family myself. 

But then as I scrolled down through the blog and was just about to close out the screen, there it read, Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." As you all know, this is printed on our adoption shirts. This has been a verse that we have clung to, knowing that God has a plan for our Eli. And he also has a plan for the McDonald family. And so I decided I should introduce you all to this family. Share "their" Eli's story. And ask that you all consider being apart of their healing process.

Here comes the second confirmation... I thought, what greater way to encourage this family than sending some words of encouragement... Who doesn't love to get snail mail?! And today, I got just that... a card via snail mail telling me I was covered in prayers. "Your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul." - Psalm 94:18-19 

Many of you are capable of writing a letter, note, card or simply jot down some scripture. Many of you have experienced the loss of a child and you know what this feels like, your stories are impactful. Words of encouragement are powerful! 

Simply put, here is how you can be an encouragement to this family you don't know, but you know needs love, encouragement & prayers: Write a note or card with words of encouragement or scripture. Mail to me by November 20th (all your cards will be sent in 1 care package to the McDonald family on November 21st, next Thursday). 

Lastly, thank you all for letting me share these families with you and ultimately sharing "our" Eli's story with you. It is so amazing how God intertwines our lives and stories with others that we may not know but are still family, brothers & sisters in Christ. Your words of encouragement, prayers... both privately & publicly from all ages, have been a testament to the extended family we have in Christ and a true blessing to know Eli is being lifted up in prayer. 

He Hears Us

Today marks 2 years since God began this journey of adoption in our lives "officially". It also happens to be our wedding anniversary as well. And Friday will mark 4 months since we've been matched with Eli. Never did I think I'd be sending so many updates over the last 2 months. We were certain we would be in Uganda by now. But God has other plans for us. Plans we are unsure of, but plans we are trusting in. 

Today's request is simple, we need your prayers. We, along with 3 other families... we are waiting, and have been waiting, and are still waiting, for a court date. We all have a judge, we all have our little ones just waiting on us, and we all really want to get that phone call soon. 

So over the next 2 days and as you gather in your churches tonight, please specifically pray for our court dates (The Samuel's, The Caines', The Brown's, and The Goggin's). We are expecting MIGHTY THINGS TO HAPPEN. This mean, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and many other states will be entering into prayer together bringing our petitions to the Lord to have his hand on these adoptions and in his perfect timing, bringing our children home. 

It is only through these prayers and other words of encouragement that are keeping us strong. 

We received such a precious note from someone in our neighborhood the other day (see below), we've been told of families coming together with their children and praying for us, and even school children in Kenya lifting up our family. So often when I pray, it feels like I'm the only one praying for Eli. And as I get weary in waiting for his perfect timing, all of your kind emails, text messages, handwritten notes, fb comments, etc... they have reminded me of my extended family in Christ and that we are not alone. 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

Being Intentional Doesn't Come Naturally

I'm learning things here and there as I get a little older. I'm thankful for these things in the end, but not always interested in learning them at the moment. One of these things, I'd like to share with you. 

Being Intentional. Being intentional doesn't come naturally, that's why it's called, being intentional. The concept: going above and beyond what you would naturally do, for the sake of a purpose or mission. Webster's dictionary says it this way: Done in a way planned or intended. 

This means, to be intention, requires some thinking. After working all day, after serving all day, after emailing & meeting all day, it's really difficult to be intentional at home. I get this. It's almost exhausting sometimes to always be intentional with relationships. So it's much easier to not be. It's much easier to just go with the flow and let life play itself out without my energy of being intentional. 

Here's the problem with this philosophy, it leads to missed opportunities & other problems. For example, lets take shopping. Shopping unintentionally can lead to excessive spending and a whole lots of unnecessary stuff. Raising a child unintentionally can lead to routine matters without ever teaching a single thing. Going to work unintentionally can lead to laziness and eventually unemployment. And the list goes on and on. 

So why am I sharing all this... because adopting unintentionally can lead to a roller coast of emotions if one is not intentionally searching for God's blessings in their life. The journey has been up and down. This journey has led me to my knees on more than one occasion. Adoption isn't easy... it's intentional. We've intentionally sought after God's heart for our child. We've not just sat around, knowing that one day a child will show up at our front door calling us Mommy & Daddy. It usually requires awareness, fundraising, and a whole lot of intentional prayers. This week alone has been one thing after another. 1. Emily was hoping to return to the states on Friday, now she'll be coming home on Sunday instead. 2. Many of Eli's clothes are too small, including the Halloween onesies we had for him, which means we'll be returning them along with some diapers that are now too small. We were assigned a judge, only to find out she's at a conference all week. These things can become overbearing at times, reminders of the fact we are here and he is there. 

But being intentional about seeing God's blessings means... 

1. Emily is coming home. PRAISE GOD, Emily is coming home on Orphan Sunday!

2. We've been assigned a judge. PRAISE GOD, that's one step closer to a court date!

3. Eli is growing like crazy!!!! PRAISE GOD, Eli isn't malnourished and underweight!

Being intentional through the adoption process is soooo important. It's also important for a Believer to be intentional. Unintentional Christianity can lead to people going to hell for eternity. "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" Romans 10:14 

Bottom line is... Unintentional people miss out on God's amazing plan for their lives... GO BE INTENTIONAL TODAY!